1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cleansing composition, which is mild to the skin and/or eyes with appropriate cleansing and foaming performance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Synthetic detergents, such as cationic, anionic, amphoteric, and non-ionic surfactants, are widely used in detergent and cleansing compositions. It is desirable that such compositions possess good foam volume and stability when used in, for example, shampoos. The amount of foam generated is directly related to the perceived efficiency with which it cleans the hair. In general, the greater the volume of foam produced and the greater the stability of the foam, the more efficient the perceived cleansing action of the shampoo.
Anionic surfactants generally exhibit superior cleansing and foaming properties, and thus are incorporated into many personal cleansing compositions. However, these anionic surfactants tend to be very irritating to the skin and eyes in levels typically used, e.g., greater than about 10 weight percent. In order to produce more mild cleansing compositions, it is well-known to replace some of the anionic surfactant with other surfactants, such as nonionic and/or amphoteric surfactants. See, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,915. Another approach to producing mild cleansing compositions is to associate the anionic surfactants with amphoteric or cationic compounds in order to yield surfactant complexes. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,443,362; 4,726,915; 4,186,113; and 4,110,263. Disadvantageously, such mild cleansing compositions tend to suffer from poor foaming and cleansing performance.
It is therefore, an object of this invention to provide effective cleansing compositions that exhibit good foaming properties without compromising the mildness and safety properties of the overall cleansing composition.